


a funny sort of rivalry

by queeneleanor



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry potter Hogwarts mystery
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Mutual Pining, Ravenclaw, Secret Crush, Slow Burn, Slytherin, Useless Lesbians, Work In Progress, endgame jacob's sibling/merula, little gay babies, mc in ravenclaw, no beta because I ain't got time for that, super canon divergence because I'm only in Year 2 of HPHM, what even is canon, will go post-year seven
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-06-22 06:30:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19661731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queeneleanor/pseuds/queeneleanor
Summary: It's Alyss Weaver's sixth year at Hogwarts, and she's done with the petty antics of her 'rival', Merula Snyde. She has no idea how to explain to Merula that Alyss doesn't want to take her out, she wants to, you know... take her out...on a date.





	1. whoops, I'm 'falling' for you

Merula Snyde was a _royal_ pain in Alyss Weaver’s ass.

Five years of a rivalry that she wanted _no_ part in (something the antagonistic Slytherin girl seemed to take no heed of) and Alyss was pretty much fed up. 

It was mid-November, and Alyss had gone into the Great Hall entrance on the report that someone was bewitching the slush tracked in by students into hazardous black ice. Three sprained wrists and quite a few sore backsides later, and Professor Flitwick had dispatched her to deal with it.

Reluctantly putting away her _fascinating_ book on the persecution of Celtic Druids in the 1st Century and glaring slightly at the little ‘P’ on her robes (honestly, the things she had to put up with as a prefect, only last week it was a fire-spouting chandelier in the Ravenclaw Common Room), Alyss had grudgingly headed over to sort it out.

At first, everything had seemed in order. The corridor was empty and dark, with most students in bed, and no slippery surfaces in sight. Marching up to the double doors without incident, only a few small puddles of slush as per usual, Alyss promptly turned on her heel to go back to the Common Room and her reading when—

_WHAM!!_

Alyss found herself flat on her back, seeing a few stars, and a giant ache forming on her head. Groaning, she squinted slightly and raised herself up on one elbow. 

Out from the shadows in the corridor came a familiar face—and a familiar smirk.

“Gotcha, Weaver!” Merula cackled mockingly, looking down at Alyss who was still sprawled on the floor. “Figured it was a matter of time before someone sent ‘lil perfect prefect Weaver over to put a stop to all those first-year dolts falling on their asses.”

Alyss simply stared at the other girl, slowly getting to her feet. 

_By Merlin,_ she thought, _I’ve had enough of Merula’s bullshit._

Taking a deep breath, she vanished the patch of black ice with a flick of her wand, not breaking eye contact with the Slytherin girl. Merula’s violet eyes were widened slightly, clearly not getting the response she had hoped or expected. 

Alyss stepped forward, gritting her teeth. “Listen, Snyde, I’m SICK and TIRED of this. You’ve proven time and again that you can’t beat me in a proper duel, so ENOUGH with your hexing me and my friends, let alone other harmless students!” She jabbed a finger into Merula’s chest, inching even closer. The other girl opened her mouth to speak, eyes narrowing, but Alyss simply raised her voice.

“Your STUPID rivalry with me is half-assed at best! Five years of taunting me about Jacob, insulting Ben and the Weaslys…I’ve tried to be your friend and let it slide countless times… but I’m DONE. The next time you try and come near me I will jinx you so badly that you won’t be able to walk for a _WEEK_.” 

Breathing heavily, hearing her voice echo through the empty corridor, Alyss could feel her hand clenched tightly around her wand. She was standing so close to Merula that she could see the shocked expression on her face. Clearly, something in her voice or tone had some sort of impact on the Slytherin girl, as she had actually shut up for a change and seemed to be taking Alyss seriously.

That’s when she noticed the slight flush on Merula’s cheeks and how the other girl’s violet eyes had flickered down, now staring at… her lips.

A few seconds like this felt like an eternity, but Alyss realized suddenly that her finger was still jammed into the front of Merula’s robes, and hastily stepped back, eyes still locked with the other girl’s. Her hands were shaking slightly and she could feel her anger churning in her stomach, along with some other… _unexplained_ feelings.

“Miss Weaver! Miss Snyde! I do hope there isn’t a problem here?”

Professor McGonagall’s sharp, stern voice pierced the silence and Merula tore her gaze away, shook her head at McGonagall and stalked up the steps, scowling darkly.

“No, Professor,” Alyss said assuredly, feeling ridiculously guilty even though she hadn’t quite done anything wrong. McGonagall’s eyes narrowed slightly and she turned her head at Merula’s disappearing figure before letting out a small “Hmmph”, nodding and walking away.

Dragging her feet, Alyss headed back to the dormitories, not even picking up her book upon returning. Instead, she sank down in her favourite armchair and stared into the fire.

_The look on her face…I guess she’s never seen me that mad before_ , Alyss mused _. But why did_ this _incident set me off? All the taunts, all the hexing…Hell, I even saved her life back in first year after she tried to kill me with Devil’s Snare! I guess I have always made exceptions for Merula…even though she’s told me countless times that she doesn’t want my pity._

Her stomach still churning, Alyss reluctantly headed up to her room. It was only once tucked into bed, failing to suppress the odd butterflies in her stomach and remembering how Merula’s flushed cheeks had looked under the candlelight that Alyss allowed herself to think of the other girl’s smirk fading away and those violet eyes fixated on _her_ lips. There was no stopping it—despite trying desperately to ignore it, Alyss finally allowed herself to recognize her absolutely _massive_ crush on Merula Snyde.

Her last thought before falling asleep with a small smile was

_Boy, was that girl ever a pain in the ass._


	2. ink and sandalwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyss is trying hard to ignore Merula Snyde, and the Slytherin girl seems to be doing the same. Alyss just can't seem to shake the feelings she gets when she thinks of a pair of violet eyes and wicked smirk, however.

Alyss Weaver woke up to a throbbing head and someone calling her name.

“Al. Alyss. _ALYSS!_ ”

Blinking her eyes at the light, she looked up to see her best friend Rowan Khanna looking down at her reproachfully. 

“Get up, lazyhead! We were going study this morning, remember? You said something along the lines of ‘utilizing our weekend so our overwhelming mound of homework doesn’t crush us’?”

Alyss groaned, and reached a hand behind her head, feeling an egg-sized bump. Seeing her friend wince with pain, Rowan’s expression changed from annoyed to one of concern.

“What happened?” 

Sitting up slightly, Alyss relayed the events of the previous evening—though carefully left a few details out, particularly the way Merula had looked at her, and how desperately Alyss had wanted to close the distance between them…

“You _yelled_ at Merula?” Rowan seemed impressed. “About time, too! So she’s been responsible for all those nasty falls recently…and that was just to get at you?” Shaking her head, Rowan gave Alyss a small smile. “She really tries hard, doesn’t she?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alyss asked, frowning slightly.

“Oh come on, Al, Merula’s been obsessed with you for years. I am proud of you for giving her a piece of your mind, though!” Rowan hopped off of the bed and stretched slightly. “Now come on, we have that Threstral essay for Kettleburn and we’ve got to practice non-verbal spells.”

_Happy weekend,_ Alyss thought grudgingly to herself, and clambered out of bed.

_* * * * *_

Her headache only grew steadily worse throughout the day, and Alyss finally excused herself from the massive pile of homework she and Rowan were working on in the library alongside another friend, Penny Haywood.

Penny had offered to brew a migraine-be-gone potion for her, but Alyss knew the Hufflepuff girl had just as much homework to prioritize as she and Rowan did, and waved her off. Heading towards the Hospital Wing, Alyss’ foul mood only deepened when she saw a group of fourth-year Gryffindor boys clustered around a suit of armour, which was suspiciously askew. Muffled pleas for help were almost overpowered by the laughter of the boys.

Alyss was sorely tempted to walk past and ignore it, but her conscience got the better of her (and the plaintive cries for help only sounded more desperate).

“Hayles! Lawrence! Miller!” 

The three Gryffindors turned at the sound of her voice, laughter fading slightly.

“Nothing to see here,” the ginger one, Lawrence, said nervously at the same time as a squeak of fright came from inside the suit of armour. Alyss waved her wand and the helmet popped off, revealing a small and very flustered first-year boy. 

“I will be reporting this to your Head of House, you three,” she said, turning towards the pranksters and glaring at them. Chagrined, they hurried away, looking over their shoulders occasionally.

Another wave of her wand had the armour pieces part far enough to let the boy out, falling ungainly to his knees. Alyss helped him up, checking for damage, and sent him off back to his Common Room. 

_Those three have really caused their share of trouble_ , she thought as she continued towards the Hospital Wing. _Though, no one has really surpassed me,_ Alyss mused ruefully. Her search for the mysterious Cursed Valuts and her missing brother Jacob had landed her in the Headmaster’s office more than once. 

_Honestly, Merula is more of the troublemaker than me…and last night certainly proves that._ Shaking her head, not exactly wanting to let herself think of the confrontation with Merula, Alyss continued down the corridor, reached the Hospital Wing and left mere minutes later, the bump on her head and brain-splitting headache significantly reduced by Madam Pomfrey. 

The rest of the weekend passed by without any significant incident, as did the following week. Alyss barely saw Merula outside of class, and the Slytherin girl’s whispered insults and glaring were replaced with furtive, unreadable glances. 

Alyss chose to ignore these, as she did with the confused, fluttering feelings in her stomach each time she saw the other girl. She went almost a week without any sort of acknowledgement of Merula, until one certain Potions class.

“Today,” Professor Snape leered as he surveyed the dark Potions classroom, “you will be _attempting_ to make Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in existence.” 

Snape stalked across the front of the classroom, looking down at the clustered group of sixth-years. 

“Your ability to make this highly difficult and dangerous potion will prove to me whether or not certain individuals—” at this, Snape stopped and glared menacingly at Alyss, “have made a mistake in taking my N.E.W.T level Potions course.” 

“The instructions are in your textbook on page forty-three, the ingredients on the shelf—” Snape flicked his wand at the cupboard, revealing a collection of different jars, “—you have one hour.”

Alyss pulled out her copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_ , and headed over to the ingredients cupboard and was on her way back when she stopped in surprise.

Merula Snyde was setting up her cauldron right next to Alyss’, glowering down at her textbook and ignoring Rowan and Penny’s looks of surprise.

Stalking over to her seat, Alyss hastily dropped her ingredients onto the table, hands shaking slightly, causing a container of powdered moonstone to roll off. Merula stuck out her hand at the last minute, placed the moonstone next to Alyss’ cauldron, and silently proceeded with her potion. 

Alyss exchanged confused glances with Rowan as she sat down, shrugging her shoulders in response as her friend raised eyebrows in Merula’s direction. 

Snape wasn’t wrong—Amortentia was a difficult potion, and Alyss could barely concentrate. She was focused on staring at Merula’s lips (and remembering what Merula had smelled like up close, something like ink and sandalwood combined) when Penny let out an exclamation of shock and quickly prevented Alyss’ potion from boiling over. 

Merula’s head snapped up and their eyes met briefly. Startled, Alyss blushed slightly and returned to her potion, resolved to finish it correctly, lest she face Snape’s displeasure.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid…_ Alyss thought ferociously as she added three tablespoons of peppermint to her potion. _Staring at Merula Snyde like an idiot, after you told her to stay away from you…_ Come to think of it, why _was_ Merula at her table? Hadn’t she threatened her to stay away? Something along the lines of… _‘the next time you try and come near me I will jinx you so badly that you won’t be able to walk for a WEEK’…_

Alyss felt her face flushed as she imagined what exactly she’d have to do to Merula to put her in that sort of shape, and coughed slightly. 

“Al, you need to stir it at least three more times counter-clockwise before you add the pearl dust,” Penny said, reaching over and stopping Alyss from dumping in the next ingredient. She thought she heard a small snort of laughter come from Merula’s side of the table, but upon examination the other girl seemed to be completely engrossed with her cauldron.

Finally, Alyss could lean back from her own cauldron, the potion within bubbling gently and producing spirals of steam and an almost opaque sheen. The rest of the class seemed to be finishing up their own potions, some more successfully than others, as one cauldron was emitting harsh blue smoke and the odour of spoiled milk. 

“You know, Amortentia smells like what you find most attractive,” Rowan said, peering into her own cauldron filled with a greyish liquid. “I don’t smell anything aside from burned rubber, however, and I can only conclude that I’ve missed a step.”

As Penny hurried over to assess Rowan’s potion, Alyss bottled a sample of her own to bring to Snape and curious, leaned closer to her cauldron of Amortentia, breathing deeply. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Merula doing the same. 

A loud screech filled the classroom as Merula forcefully pushed her stool back, hastily grabbed her potion sample and headed to the front of the classroom with it clutched tightly in her hand. 

The rest of the class followed suit, with Merula the first one out the door.

“I wonder what that was about,” Penny said curiously, with a small glint in her eye as she looked at Alyss. The three girls packed up their bags, Alyss shrugging nonchalantly at Penny’s question and quickly heading to Transfiguration. 

She was climbing the staircase out of the dungeons when she remembered how her own potion had smelled slightly... of sandalwood. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two!! Please leave comments if you enjoy!


	3. if i fall for you, will you fall for me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyss tries to gain the upper hand with Merula, and her friends begin to suspect something between the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I hope you've been enjoying! If you have, please consider reading my other work, an original HP story with more useless lesbians and some fluff.

The rest of November passed by without incident. The snow fell heavily on the castle grounds, and Hagrid spent his time heaving giant evergreen trees into the Great Hall, where Professor Flitwick oversaw the Christmas decorating committee. Alyss was roped into bewitching tinsel to line the walls and had her hands full preventing snowball fights in the corridors. 

She received a bit of a surprise when her barn owl, Clios, dropped a letter from her parents into her lap one morning at breakfast. Alyss set aside her oatmeal and opened the letter after giving Clios an appreciative stroke. 

Scanning her mother’s tidy writing, she crumpled the letter up slightly and returned to her breakfast. 

“What’d it say?” Rowan asked around a bite of toast, jam knife in mid-air.

“They think its preferable that I stay here at Hogwarts for Christmas,” Alyss sighed, trying not to let on how disappointed she was.

“Oh Al, I’m really sorry to hear that. You know I’d have you come to the farm with me, but we are taking a trip to Brazil to experiment with different types of wand-wood.”

“It’s okay, Rowan—I hear the Amazon rainforest has more than one thousand types of magical wood. You’ll have a great time,” Alyss said, looking down at her half-eaten breakfast and suddenly not feeling quite hungry at all. 

_Another Christmas at Hogwarts…_ she thought glumly. With each year that Jacob was missing, it seemed as though her parents drifted further and further away. She had spent nearly every Christmas break either at the castle or at Rowan’s family farm, save for a chilly holiday in her third year when her mother sobbed after Christmas brunch and refused to take down Jacob’s stocking. 

Clios gave a small hoot and she flew off after affectionately nibbling at Alyss’ hand. Alyss followed Rowan out of the Hall and towards the Charms classroom, trying to reconcile herself to a lonely holiday. 

_Being at home wouldn’t have been any better than this,_ she tried to tell herself. _All Father does is ignore that Jacob existed at all, and Mother refuses to let him touch his room. At least I’ll be able to catch up on some of my reading…_

Lost in thought, she didn’t realize she was right outside the classroom until she collided, hard, with someone’s back. Muttering an apology, Alyss stepped back hastily to an angry pair of violet eyes. 

“Watch it!” Merula snapped. “Honestly Weaver, I swear your brain isn’t an inch bigger than…”

The Slytherin girl stopped suddenly, a chagrined expression on her face. Rubbing the back of her neck, Merula’s eyes shifted from Alyss’ face to the floor. 

“That all, Merula? No tremendously witty insult from you to start off my day?” Alyss said, raising an eyebrow quizzically at the other girl. 

Merula just scowled darkly and turned to go into the classroom.

“Shame,” Alyss called after her with a slight smirk. “I’ve missed our little…heart to hearts.”

Speaking of hearts, hers was hammering double time in her chest at the way she was talking to Merula, but it almost seemed like a _different_ Alyss Weaver was speaking—a much more ballsy version. 

They were the only two left in the corridor, the Slytherin girl still watching Alyss smirk at her. 

“You’re insufferable, Weaver, d’ya know that?” spat Merula. 

“I do _sincerely_ apologize for bumping into you,” Alyss retorted, marching past the other girl and through the doorway. “Perhaps, next time I should just make you move.” 

The last words were accompanied by a little wink, and Alyss sauntered into the classroom, Merula staring after her, slightly stunned.

* * * * * 

The final Quidditch match of the first term was highly anticipated—Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Bundled up against the cold, students and teachers headed out to the frozen Quidditch pitch on a grey, thankfully clear Saturday morning. 

That morning in the Great Hall, Alyss had stopped Merula by the arm. Before the other girl could say anything, Alyss simply wished her luck and gave a small smile. 

She couldn’t see Merula’s expression as she walked away, but Alyss did notice Rowan’s confused face. 

“What’s going on between you and Merula?” her friend had asked as they exited the castle. “She hasn’t said anything to Ben in _weeks_ , and I think its been at least a month since she’s challenged you to a duel.”

Alyss shrugged slightly. “I think maybe we’re past the whole ‘rivals’ thing…there’s only about three more terms of school and it’d be nice to leave Hogwarts without an archenemy.”

The two continued down to the pitch, finding relatively good seats in the stadium alongside their fellow Ravenclaws and securing their scarves against the bitter wind.

“You know…” Rowan said suddenly, “Penny said something about the two of you the other day.”

Turning, Alyss paused with her scarf hanging loose. “What do you mean?” she asked, suddenly trepidatious. 

“Well,” Rowan continued slowly, with none of her usual bravado, “I’ve been thinking about this for awhile, and it seems Penny agrees. We think Merula has a crush on you.” She said this last part very fast and her face looked quite serious. 

Stunned, Alyss could only open her mouth slightly. 

“Wh-what? Merula? A crush…on _me_?” 

“Like I said, Al, she’s kind of obsessed with you. Plus she always stares at you during class…like, a _lot_.” Rowan said with a grin.

“That’s because she loves to glare at me,” Alyss said slowly, suddenly feeling quite light-headed and warm.

“Just saying what we’ve noticed,” Rowan continued. She looked as if she was going to ask another question, but the screech of Madam Hooch’s whistle pierced the air and the match began. 

Alyss kept her eyes on player number five on the Slytherin team—a blur of green darting in between members of the Gryffindor team, Quaffle in head. 

“…and she _scores_! 10 points to Slytherin!” the commentator’s enthusiastic voice filled the stands. “Gryffindor Chaser Seth Miller now in possession of the Quaffle, he passes to Ellen Wright, who narrowly dodges a Bludger shot by Slytherin beater Feldman—wicked aim, watch out for him—she shoots and _blocked_ by an impressive move by Slytherin Chaser Merula Snyde!”

The Slytherins in the stands cheered while the scarlet-and-gold clad Gryffindor students booed loudly. 

Alyss watched attentively as the match continued, the weather becoming steadily worse. Flurries of snow now fell thickly from the darkening sky, and she could see the players shivering on their broomsticks.

“And the score is fifty-thirty for Slytherin! Wright has the Quaffle, passing to Miller followed closely by Snyde, the Gryffindor Chasers seem to be doing some sort of…Merlin’s beard!”

Alyss jumped to her feet alongside others in the crowd, trying to see what had happened through the falling snow.

Madam Hooch’s whistle blew for a time-out and Alyss glanced about wildly. Rowan, who had been watching the match through her binoculars, let out a small gasp.

“What? What’s happened?” Alyss asked anxiously.

“The Gryffindor Chasers—they used the snow as cover to shake the pursuit. Merula flew straight into one of the towers.”

Grabbing the binoculars hurriedly, Alyss scanned the field below. She could make out a small, crumpled figure in green lying beneath one of the spectator towers and Professor McGonagall beside it. A stretcher was brought and Madam Hooch quickly spoke to both team Captains before blowing her whistle once more.

Heart beating wildly, Alyss thrust the binoculars back into Rowan’s hands and started for the stairs, ignoring her friend’s bewildered questions.

Alyss didn’t know why exactly her breath caught in her throat, or what prompted her to run up the path to the castle. All she knew was that she was headed for the Hospital Wing.


	4. you won the match and you won my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyss sneaks into the Hospital Wing to see if Merula is okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man guys I ship it! let me know how you're enjoying it so far!

“Really, Miss Weaver, Miss Snyde will be quite fine without you hovering over her. I’m sure you have other things to do.”

Startled, Alyss glanced up at Madam Pomfrey, who had appeared quite suddenly behind her.

Alyss had waited outside the Hospital Wing, her stomach churning with fear and worry as the Slytherin Qudditch team had clustered around Merula’s bedside, cheering for their victory (the Snitch had been caught shortly after the accident) before being shooed away by Madam Pomfrey. 

“…just a bad concussion and a broken arm, nothing I can’t mend…”

Overhearing Madam Pomfrey’s assurances, Alyss had sighed in relief. She wanted to go in and see if Merula was awake, maybe…check on her. Opening the door quietly and checking to see that Madam Pomfrey was busy folding bandages in the back, she had quickly slipped in. 

Merula’s right arm was splintered and bandaged, her head propped against a mountain of pillows. Alyss had noticed a bottle of Sleep Potion on the bedside table and had settled into a chair, looking down at Merula’s sleeping form.

_She looks so vulnerable,_ Alyss had thought. Merula’s face held no anger or spite…or sadness. Alyss had seen that sadness flash in the other girl’s eyes whenever her parents in Azkaban were mentioned. Sadness that was quickly repressed by anger and harsh words. 

Her thoughts had been interrupted by the approach of Madam Pomfrey, who was now looking at her with a reproachful expression. 

“Miss Snyde has already seen the whole Slytherin Quidditch team, Miss Weaver. She needs peace and quiet.”

Alyss looked back down at Merula, seeing her chest rise and fall slightly each time she breathed. 

“I’ll be quiet,” Alyss pleaded slightly. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

Madam Pomfrey looked as if she was barely restraining herself from rolling her eyes. “Five minutes, Miss Weaver, as you’re clearly so determined. I’ve given her a sleeping draught though, she won’t be waking up until tomorrow.” The matron flicked her eyes over the sleeping girl, nodded to herself and headed to the storeroom near the back. 

Alyss turned back to Merula, only to see the Slytherin girl was _not_ asleep, but staring at her with a quizzical expression. 

Alyss started, meeting Merula’s gaze quickly before dipping her head down to hide the furious blush that was spreading across her face.

“What on earth are you doing here, Weaver?” Merula whispered, though not in the snarky, teasing way Alyss had expected—instead, she sounded genuinely bewildered. 

“I um…wanted to congratulate you on winning. And you know… see if you were okay.”

Merula’s eyebrows raised slightly. “My head bloody hurts and I’m pissed off that I missed Parker catching the Snitch for us, but as you can see, I’m alive.”

Alyss shifted slightly in her seat as Merula propped herself up in bed, wincing slightly. She noticed that Merula’s messy brown hair was streaked on one side with what looked like…

“Is that _blood_?” Alyss asked, raising her voice slightly and reaching out a hand without thinking.

“I fell headfirst into the stands, Weaver, not into a mound of feathers,” Merula snapped, lifting her arm to bat Alyss away and failing due to the heavy splint. 

Undeterred, Alyss leaned her elbows on the bed, nodding her chin at the bottle of Sleep Poition and shooting Merula a conspiratorial glance. “How come you aren’t asleep?” 

The other girl smirked at this. “Pomfrey tried to make me drink a glassful, but I Vanished it when she wasn’t looking.”

“Why?”

“Because I saw your nosy ass slip in when the team left. No way I’d let _you_ creep up on me when I’m in an induced sleep,” Merula shot back in a whisper. 

Frowning slightly, Alyss moved to go. 

“Hold on, Weaver,” Merula said. “I’m only kidding. Thank you for, you know…checking up on me.” Now it was the Slytherin girl’s time to blush. 

Alyss’ five minutes were almost certainly more than up. A noise from the back of the Hospital Wing indicated that Madam Pomfrey was returning to make her rounds, and before Alyss could talk herself out of it, she grabbed Merula’s free hand and squeezed it slightly. She slipped out into the corridor, glancing back once to see the other girl staring after her. 


	5. a holiday letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> christmas break has begun, and Alyss is feeling more than a tad bit lonely, until she runs into a certain someone who might be feeling that way too.

Hogwarts was pretty much deserted.

Alyss had said goodbye to Penny, Rowan, Ben and her other friends before dragging her feet to the Ravenclaw Common Room and throwing herself on a comfy couch in front of the fire. 

A few days had gone by without incident, Alyss catching up on her reading and finishing both _Magical Water Plants of the Highland Lochs_ and _The Decline of Pagan Magic_. She filled other pockets of her time completing the Magical Symbols Game published in the _Daily Prophet._

A few weeks ago, someone had jokingly enchanted the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw to sing holiday songs, and as the spell had worn off, Alyss only heard the occasional off-key “ _Deck the halls with…boughs…of holly…_ ” and half-hearted mumbles of “ _Hark! The herald…”._

Warm and cosy in an old wool jumper of Jacob’s, Alyss looked out at the snow-covered mountains in the distance and sighed heavily. Ravenclaw Tower was almost empty, save for a small number of other students. Bored, she glanced at Talbott Winger,who was seated across from Alyss and concentrating deeply on whatever poem he was composing. 

Her friend looked deep in thought, so Alyss decided against asking him to play Wizard’s Chess or Exploding Snap and instead decided to go visit Clios in the Owlrey. 

Pulling a scarf around her neck, she headed out of the castle. The day was a bright, clear one, and Alyss encountered only a few birds flying off in the distance. 

The steps to the Owlrey were treacherously icy, and she navigated them cautiously. The familiar smell of stale owl droppings and hay greeted Alyss as she opened the door. Sunlight streamed in from the open windows and she could see dust floating hazily around the room. 

Upon seeing Alyss, Clios flew down from her perch and hooted in welcome. Alyss stretched out her arm and gave the barn owl a few Eeylops Owl Treats from her pocket. She was content to sit on a low bench, stroking and talking quietly to Clios, and lost track of time. 

The door creaked open and Alyss glanced up. 

Merula stood in the doorway, a slight dusting of snow on her shoulders, her cheeks flushed in an adorable way with the cold. She was carrying something and stopped at the sight of Alyss staring at her. 

Shifting slightly, Merula cleared her throat. “Weaver,” she finally acknowledged, not meeting Alyss’ gaze.

“Hello Merula,” Alyss answered, still holding Clios. She nodded at whatever was now concealedin Merula’s hands. “What’s that?”

Merula closed the door behind her. “It’s…it’s a letter to my parents,” she announced suddenly, raising her chin in a determined way, as though daring Alyss to make fun of her.

“Oh,” was all Alyss could say. “Right, then.” 

They stared at each other for a moment, before Alyss held out the arm where Clios was still perched. 

“Would you like to borrow her?”

Merula warily walked over to where Alyss was sitting. 

“Really? I mean…you don’t mind?” the other girl asked. 

Alyss nodded and helped attach the scroll to Clios’ leg. The barn owl gave a small hoot and the two girls, in a sort of awkward silence, looked at her. 

Merula spoke suddenly. “I’ve never gotten a response. I don’t even know if they get to read them.”

Alyss still didn’t know what to say. Sure, her parents were cold and distant, but she could remember a time before everything with Jacob happened when their little family had been happy. And her mother and father weren’t locked up in Azkaban. 

“Don’t worry though,” Merula continued with a small ironic laugh. “The owls always come back.” 

Alyss smiled slightly a gave Clios one more affectionate stroke before walking over to the window where the barn owl took flight. Merula joined her, and they watched Clios’ figure steadily fade away in the distance. 

Hands in her pockets, Alyss snuck a glance at Merula. The Slytherin girl’s face was sad, and Alyss thought maybe there were small glistening drops of water in her violet eyes. 

Then, without thinking about it, Alyss pulled Merula close and hugged her. 

At first, she was met with shocked resistance, but all at once the other girl softened. Alyss felt Merula’s hands tentatively reach around her and return the hug. Merula smelled like sandalwood and an inky smell that reminded Alyss of nail polish. 

Her Amortentia potion had smelled like this.

With that thought, Alyss stepped back hastily, blushing. “Sorry,” she mumbled, her stomach a churning cauldron of nerves. 

“S’okay,” Merula said in an undertone. Her gaze was fixed on the Owlrey floor. 

_Bloody hell, Alyss. You clearly missed the lecture on_ boundaries _,_ Alyss thought to herself, almost missing when Merula spoke next. 

“What are you doing here, anyways? You’re not usually around for Christmas.” Merula spoke very quickly, as if to change the subject.

“Oh. Well…” Alyss knew she had to be honest, as Merula had just shared something personal with her. “My parents don’t want me to come home. Because of the... Jacob thing... and Rowan’s family is on holiday, so I’m here.”

Merula raised her eyebrows slightly at this, then shot Alyss a sly look. “Well, Weaver, that means we have the whole break to practice our duelling.”

“Really, Merula?” Alyss let out an exasperated sigh. “I thought we were past all that! The whole, you know, truce in fifth-year where you stop consistently challenging me to duel?”

“New rules, Weaver. Christmas Holidays mean that anything goes,” Merula said with a smirk. “Second-floor corridor by the tapestry of Morgan le Fey. Wednesday night.”

Alyss rolled her eyes and headed for the door. “You’re insufferable, Snyde. You know that?”

“Yup!” Merula called after her, and as Alyss turned to go, she could’ve sworn the remark was accompanied by a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter five is up! let me know what you think in the comments! also quite hard to write about winter weather in a super hot july but I did my best :)


	6. the duel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyss and Merula face off. In this duel, 'winning' has a different sort of meaning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is coming so late! I've been swamped with other stuff, but writing this chapter was a lot of fun. Please let me know what you think in the comments!

Alyss woke up Wednesday morning with a mixture of dread and excitement in her stomach. She had barely seen Merula since they had run into each other at the Owlrey…and Alyss had _hugged_ her. Thinking about Merula made her feel warm and almost giddy—a stark contrast to the times in previous years when the other girl had made her blood boil angrily.

She knew that many of Merula’s previous actions were rooted in jealousy and insecurity. Having notorious Death Eaters as parents certainly didn’t give you a popularity card at Hogwarts, and it was clear that the Slytherin girl sensed it. 

Alyss tried to keep her thoughts away from Merula throughout the day, visiting Hagrid on the grounds and playing Exploding Snap with a few other upper-years who were at the castle for the holidays. She was clearing her plate of beef stew at dinner and engrossed in her biography of the famous English witch Anne Boleyn when someone suddenly leaned in close behind her.

“Eight o’clock, Weaver.” Merula’s breath on her neck caused Alyss to jump slightly in her seat. “Don’t be late. Also, spoiler alert, bookworm, but Anne loses her head.” A soft chuckle accompanied the last sentence. 

“I know that—” Alyss retorted, turning slightly to see Merula’s figure saunter away.

Alyss could feel her cheeks flush as she stood up hurriedly, stuffing the book under her arm and glancing around to make sure no one had noticed anything out of the ordinary between herself and her ‘rival’. 

The time for the duel came before Alyss knew it. At quarter to seven, she headed down the spiral staircase of Ravenclaw Tower, a jittery mess of nerves. She could hardly concentrate and narrowly missed a tumble when one of the staircases began to move. 

Shaking her head, Alyss headed towards the second floor corridor. 

_Get it together! It’s not like you haven’t duelled Merula before…_

Alyss chuckled a little as she remembered her last victory over the Slytherin girl; she had whipped out the Shield Charm at the last second and Merula’s Stinging Jinx had rebounded. Tonks, herself and Rowan had laughed for what seems like hours when Merula had spun around, face swelling like a balloon. It was quite difficult to take the other girl seriously when she was uttering death threats with cheeks as huge as a chipmunk’s. 

Slowing her pace, Alyss spotted the tapestry of Morgan le fey in the dim light of the corridor. Studying it intently, her back towards Alyss, was Merula. 

A shot of anxiety flipped through her stomach and Alyss gripped her wand tightly, clearing her throat. 

“Weaver,” the other girl turned, a cocky grin on her face. “I was beginning to suspect you wouldn’t show up.”

Pushing up the sleeves of her jumper, Alyss tried to smirk. “How could I refuse such a tempting offer to kick your ass—again?” 

Merula stepped back from the tapestry, drawing out her own wand. They faced each other, the candlelight creating distorted shadows on the walls. Alyss bowed slightly, noticing how Merula was biting her lip slightly, while Merula merely jerked her head, not breaking any eye contact with her.

Then Merula’s arm whipped out with a loud _BANG!_ and Alyss was suddenly on her back. 

_When did she get so good at nonverbal spells?_

“C’mon Weaver, this is turning into a habit!” Merula’s voice mocked.

Alyss pushed herself up on one arm, looking at the other girl. “What,” she teased, “you getting me on my back?”

Merula blinked, and Alyss seized her chance. She flicked her wand towards the other girl and scrambled hastily to her feet. Her Knockback Jinx had been blocked by Merula, but Alyss quickly followed through. 

_“Expelliarmus!”_

This was blocked as well. Frustrated, Alyss gritted her teeth. Duels with Merula usually didn’t last longer than a minute, or with the Slytherin girl winning. 

_“IMMOBULUS!”_

Without warning, Alyss couldn’t move. Merula stalked forward, a broad grin on her face. 

“Take _that_ , Weaver! Betcha weren’t expecting nonverbal Sheila Charms, were you, perfect Prefect Weaver?” Merula inched forward to where Alyss stood frozen. “Let’s just say I was…inspired by our last duel. You didn’t _really_ think that truce from last year was gonna hold, did you?” 

_That sneaky, no-good…_ Alyss raged silently. Chester Davies had taught her the Freezing Charm back in her third year, and she considered it one of her signatures. Of _course_ Merula would use it against her. And the nonverbal spells…her rival must’ve been putting in extra work to her duelling in the past year. She had to admit, she was impressed. Merula really was brilliant when her temper didn’t get the better of her. 

_Although, when Merula’s angry, her cheeks flush and her eyes sparkle… she kind of glows, actually…_ she noticed, however, that Merula’s eyes were sparkling right then as she stared triumphantly at Alyss.

“I must say, you make a fine statue, Weaver,” Merula remarked, giving Alyss an appraising head-to-toe look. “As much fun as it would be to leave you as a new decoration for the castle, I’d rather not face the wrath from Professor Flitwick when he finds out his favourite student is gone.”

The Slytherin girl sighed, then waved her wand almost lazily in Alyss’s direction. Immediately, she could move again. Merula was still standing in front of her, the typical smirk on her face.

Dropping her wand arm, Alyss did something she didn’t know she had the bravery to do. On the same, unbidden impulse that had come to her that day with Merula in the Owlrey, she stepped forward, grabbed the front of the other girl’s robes with on hand and kissed her. 

Initially, it almost seemed like Merula was going to break away, but after a moment Alyss felt strong hands on either side of her face. She tightened her grip on Merula, winding her free hand in the other girl’s short hair as the kiss grew in intensity, so much so that Alyss felt she’d be swept up, up, up above the ceiling, above the castle, all the way to space itself.

And then it was over. Merula had stepped back, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. Alyss’s blissful feeling quickly turned to lead somewhere in her stomach. She tried to calm her breathing, but found that somehow her lungs no longer worked properly. 

“Wow,” Merula said softly. 

Alyss’ heart was beating a mile a minute, her eyes fixed on her feet. “So… so you’re not… mad?” 

The Slytherin girl threw back her head and laughed. “No, you big dummy, I’m not mad!” Merula’s face transformed into a huge grin. “You just beat me to it! I’ve been wanting to do that for _ages_!”

Her heart stopped doing a tango in double time. Alyss felt a grin of her own begin to appear. “I want—”

She was interrupted by a faint meow. Startled, she and Merula glanced at the end of the corridor, where Mrs. Norris stood, her large eyes trained on the pair of them. 

“Shit. Filch’ll be here any second,” Merula said. “He’s caught the two of us wandering around enough in the past five years to assume we’re up to something.” She grabbed Alyss’ hand and pulled her towards the stairs.

“And are we?” Alyss asked, trying to ignore the happy butterflies in her chest at Merula’s hold. “You, know, up to something?” 

Exiting the corridor, Merula glanced back at her. “Illegally dueling. Again. C’mon Weaver, you of _all_ people should know the rules.” Her last remark was accompanied by a teasing smirk that only increased Alyss’ butterflies. 

“Well…,” Alyss reluctantly dropping the other girl’s hand. “I’ll see you around, Merula?” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. 

Merula’s only response was her trademark smirk as she turned and headed down the stairs. Alyss watched her go, only leaving for Ravenclaw Tower when she thought she heard Filch’s wheezes in the corridor behind her. 

Back in her dormitory, Alyss fell asleep with a giant smile on her face. 


	7. transmutation: you can't change feelings, no matter how hard you try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyss tries to convince herself that her feelings for Merula need to stop. Has she ruined any chance the two of them have?

It wasn’t until after Christmas that Alyss saw Merula again. To be honest, she had been…avoiding the other girl ever since the night of their duel. Sitting in the Ravenclaw Common Room, in the bright daylight, it seemed as though Alyss’ logic had finally kicked in. 

First and foremost, her history with Merula was complicated. The whole school knew about their rivalry, even despite Alyss’ efforts in recent years to tolerate the Slytherin girl’s antics. She had been made a Prefect, had slowed down her search for the Cursed Vaults, and had thrown herself into her studies to avoid thinking about Jacob. 

Merula was…a distraction. Albeit a very pretty, unpredictable distraction. But Alyss couldn’t easily forget Merula’s taunts, bullying, and attacks on her and her friends. It was almost as if in the past weeks she had forgotten everything that Merula had done, and had been living in some sort of dream world where reality and cold hard logic didn’t exist. 

_What would all of Hogwarts say if they saw us… Alyss Weaver and Merula Snyde, archenemies, together? What would the Weaslys say? And Ben, who’s been the butt of her jokes for five years?_

Sitting on the couch in front of the fire, her knees drawn up to her chest, Alyss had decided that whatever…this _thing_ with Merula was, it was dangerous. Feelings were dangerous. Feelings that were too deep got you in trouble. 

She had loved her brother, had loved him so much as to dedicate almost every waking minute upon her arrival at Hogwarts to find him. And what had become of it? Too many near-death experiences, endangering the lives of her friends…

And her parents. Alyss had seen what an improper match became every time she was home. 

_Merula and I…we’re complete opposites. I mean, does she even think rationally more than five percent of the time? Plus, I tried the whole relationship thing… and it didn’t work…_ she had thought. 

Funnily, Alyss hadn’t thought about her brief fling with Bill Weasley in a while. Granted, it had been at the start of fifth year, and had only consisted of maybe four dates. She just…liked him as a friend, that’s all. And she had to focus on her O.W.L.s.

Soon enough, Christmas morning came. Alyss woke up to a stack of presents next to her four-poster. Smiling at the jumper from Mrs. Weasley (navy blue with a silver ‘A’ on the front), the bottle of ever-filling ink and beautiful Fwooper quill from Rowan, a large bar of Honeyduke’s best chocolate from Ben, and a collapsible pocket-sized gold telescope from her parents, Alyss hesitantly opened a package addressed to her from Tulip Karasu. 

_If this is a prank gift_ …

A small explosion proved her misgivings correct. Coughing slightly at the cloud of glitter that had emerged from the package, Alyss pulled out a large poster of Gwenog Jones, the Captain of her favourite Quidditch team the Holyhead Harpies.

Grinning, Alyss vanished the glitter with a flick of her wand. She couldn’t wait for her friends to get back to Hogwarts—she missed them all desperately, especially Rowan. She needed to talk to her about Merula. 

Alyss pulled on her new Weasley jumper and headed down for breakfast, feeling better than she had in the previous days. 

* * * * * 

“Weaver. Hey, Weaver!”

Startled, Alyss dropped the stack of books she was carrying all over the library floor. She had spent the days after Christmas getting a head start on her Alchemy essay on Paracelsus’ theory on mineral transmutation, trying to stick to the Ravenclaw Common Room so as to avoid any run-in with Merula, but needed more research material from the library. Clearly her plan had backfired, because a certain someone was yelling—

“Are you deaf?” 

Alyss looked up from the floor where she was crouched, trying to gather the books. Merula knelt down beside her and firmly placed her hand on _Real Alchemy: A Primer of Its Practical Magic_ before Alyss could grab it. 

Blushing, she reluctantly met Merula’s blazing violet gaze. “What the hell, Weaver? Where have you been?” Merula spat, her hand still on the book. 

“Give me that please, Merula,” Alyss murmured quietly. 

Rocking back on her heels, Merula moved the book away from Alyss’ reach. “Not until you tell me what the hell is going on, Weaver.” The other girl’s face was a mixture of anger and…fear?

Alyss sighed and gathered up _Atalanta Fugiens_ and _Flamel: Failure, Formulas and Fortune_ before getting to her feet. “Nothing’s going on, Merula,” she said, “I’ve just been really busy.”

Merula scoffed and stood up. “Busy, my ass. You’ve been avoiding me.”

The embossed scarlet cover of the Flamel book suddenly seemed quite interesting to Alyss. 

“Look… if it was about what I said… about having wanted to, you know… kiss you… before that,” Merula bit her lip slightly and looked down. “I’m sorry if that scared you, or something.” 

Alyss couldn’t stand the way Merula looked—open and raw and vulnerable. And frightened. She wanted the smirking, confident Merula back, but didn’t know what to say. 

“Merula, I… I think its best if we forget what happened.” Alyss forced the words out, hoping they sounded like no big deal but hating herself for even uttering them. “It’s just kind of improbable, don’t you think? I mean, our history…” She trailed off uncomfortably. 

The Slytherin girl frowned. “Look, Weaver, _you_ kissed _me_ , and—”

“—and it was a mistake!”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Alyss wished she could’ve taken them back. In the span of a heartbeat, Merula’s face crumpled then quickly hardened. 

“Fine, Weaver, tell me how you really feel,” she spat poisonously, shoving the alchemy primer towards Alyss. “I should’ve left you as a statue.” 

Merula stalked away, kicking a chair on its side as she left the room and causing Alyss to wince. 

Alyss thought she glimpsed the other girl savagely wipe her eyes before she was out of sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah hard one to write. I've definitely been in Alyss' shoes before though...also sorry for all those Jacob's Sibling/Bill Weasley shippers out there. Gay fanfic is just so much more fun!


	8. please see me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyss has to try and make things right, but this mess might be bigger than a Niffler inside your grandmother's silver cabinet.

“You _kissed_ Merula Snyde?”

Penny Haywood’s excited whisper rang through the Courtyard as she stared at Alyss, before turning to Rowan Khanna with an oddly triumphant look. 

“And then you _dumped_ her?!” This time, it wasn’t a whisper.

Alyss sighed. “Listen Penny, could you please keep it down? I’d rather keep this to ourselves.” 

Penny scooched closer to Alyss and Rowan on the stone bench they were huddled on. The January sky was cloudy overhead, and heavy snow covered the grounds; Alyss could see a pair of owls headed towards the Owlery. 

This was the first time she had managed to grab Penny and Rowan to talk privately since the start of the new term. The professors seemed to pile on even more work now that Christmas break was over, and Alyss was glad of all the extra studying she had done during her holiday. 

“Listen, it’s exactly as I told you. Merula and I…,” she shifted uncomfortably, “…we’d just never work out.” 

Penny and Rowan exchanged looks. “Go over the part where she said she’s wanted to kiss _you_ for _ages_ again, Al,” Penny urged. 

Alyss glared at the Hufflepuff girl. “Knock it off, Penny. You two were right about the whole ‘crush’ thing, now can you let it go? The damage’s been done.” 

She made to stand up angrily, but Rowan pulled her back down. 

“Hey, Al. It’s ok! I’m sure this is fixable. Especially since you _know_ you like her back.”

“Yeah, but whole lotta good that does! Now Merula hates me!” Alyss groaned, then glanced ruefully at her two best friends. “Just like she did before.”

Penny cleared her throat slightly, smirking. “How was it, though? You know, the kiss?”

Alyss felt herself blush furiously. “It was…pretty amazing.” 

* * * * * 

This time, Merula was the one avoiding Alyss. No more snide remarks or verbal jabs in between classes, but no more almost-friendly conversations and small smiles that seemed to light up lavender eyes. 

Alyss tried to talk to Merula during classes, in the Great Hall before and after meals, and even tried hanging around the Slytherin Common Room in the Dungeons (which she stopped doing pretty quickly after some sharp looks from Professor Snape). It was no use—Merula either hurried away or simply wasn’t there. 

Their kiss was always in Alyss’ mind—she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She remembered how Merula’s lips were rough (probably because she was always biting them) and _wanting_. She remembered Merula’s hands on her face, how intensely she held her, as if she’d never, ever, let Alyss go. 

_I have to do something_ , Alyss thought desperately. Upon Rowan’s suggestion she had sent a note, with everything she wanted to say left unsaid but still, an attempt to bridge the sudden gap, but had watched as Merula incinerated it with a jab of her wand at the Slytherin table during breakfast. 

A pair of hurt, angry violet eyes had meet Alyss’ gaze right before Merula set the note aflame. 

Lying awake at night in her bed, Alyss felt like she was going mad. She had shut down whatever… _thing_ … had been developing between her and Merula with a thousand excuses, one of them being the desire to focus on school.

Yet her concentration was out the window ever since the start of the new term. She accidentally added the wrong amount of Beeplewill pods to her Invisibility potion, causing a minor explosion in Potions class and Snape docking points from Ravenclaw. Her halfhearted essay on the difficulties of wandless magic earned her a stern talking-to from Professor Flitwick on the importance of constant preparedness, especially as N.E.W.T year approached. In short, Alyss was _way_ off of her game. 

There was one way that Alyss could get Merula’s attention, but it would be difficult. She’d never done it before, but in theory, one could send their corporeal Patronus as a means of communication. After Tonks had taught her the Patronus Charm in fourth year, Alyss had done as much research as possible on the spell. Professor Flitwick had told her in confidence that in the First Wizarding War against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Dumbledore had devised the communication method for the Order of the Phoenix to use. There certainly were perks to being Flitwick’s favourite student.

The problem was, Alyss’ panther Patronus was difficult to conjure. She had spent hours practicing with Tonks in order to get it right. 

_I’m out of options though,_ Alyss though to herself. _Merula_ _won’t speak to me in person, or answer my notes, or even acknowledge me._

Following a dinner where she picked silently at her food, Alyss headed for an unused classroom on the fourth floor instead of Ravenclaw Tower. Checking to make sure there were no signs of Mrs. Norris or Peeves’ pranks, she stepped inside, pushing aside a few broken desks and a teetering, dusty blackboard.

Pulling out her wand and clearing her throat, Alyss tried to focus. This was her one chance to try and fix the mess she had created. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on what had been in her thoughts for the past few weeks—the kiss—and spoke the incantation aloud.

“ _Expecto Patronum!_ ”

A large, silvery shape bounded forth from Alyss’ wand. She felt slightly fatigued, but spoke clearly to her Patronus. 

“Merula, we need to talk. Please. Please just give me five minutes…I need to explain.” 

The silvery form cocked its head slightly. She sighed. “I’ll be here…I’ll wait all night if I have to.”

Her Patronus vaulted over an overturned desk and out the door. Alyss checked her watch; half past seven.

_I mean it. I’ll wait all night…Filch can try and give me detention or any other punishment, but I’m not moving until I’m absolutely sure that Merula isn’t coming_. Alyss didn’t want to think what she’d do if the other girl didn’t show up. She had to fix this. 

* * * * * 

It was a quarter past nine when Merula finally showed up. Alyss was sitting crosslegged on a desk when the other girl hesitantly opened the door. 

Merula wasn’t in her Hogwarts robes, but a worn grey Slytherin Quidditch sweatshirt and black Muggle jeans that were badly ripped in both knees. She didn’t look as angry as she had before, when she burned the note, so Alyss felt a tiny shred of hope. 

“Hey,” she said quietly, standing up quickly, still looking at Merula’s face.

“What do you want, Weaver?” Merula sounded tired, and exasperated…but not furious. “Smart trick to send a Patronus to come get me. Guess you couldn’t take the hint.”

Alyss flinched. “Merula, please listen. I can explain—”

The other girl laughed slightly. “Sure. Explain all you want, but I’ve got it figured out. Either you were playing me, or woke up and realized perfect prefect Weaver could _never_ dream of being with someone with notorious Death Eaters for parents.” Merula said the last part with a sarcastic scoff, but Alyss saw just how much she believed what she was saying. 

“Merula, no. You’ve got it wrong,” she said, stepping forward slightly. “I like you. Like, _like_ like you.”

The Slytherin girl rolled her eyes at this. “What are you, twelve? Where was this handy bit of information at the library the other day? Or during the Christmas holidays?” 

Alyss took a deep breath. “I panicked. I got worried…anybody that I’ve let myself care about too much has turned out rotten or missing. My parents, Jacob—it’s just easier to think logically.” She smiled ruefully. “Logically, we’re not compatible at all. But your past, my past…I don’t care about any of it. I just want to look ahead. And try whatever…whatever is here between us. Because I feel something for you, Merula. And you’re too important for me to let go.”

Relief spread across her chest when the words were out. Merula just looked at the floor, her expression hard to read. 

“I’m so sorry, Merula. The kiss…it wasn’t a mistake,” Alyss continued. “It was one of the best moments of my life, honestly.”

At this, the other girl slowly raised her head. Merula’s violet eyes sparkled, and then she gave a small smile. “Nice to know that I have that effect on you, Weaver.” Then her brow furrowed slightly.“You mean it? You don’t care about…my parents? My past?” 

Hoping beyond hope, Alyss reached forward and grabbed the other girl’s hands. “I mean it. I care about _you_.” 

Merula’s face split into the trademark smirk. “Alright, Weaver, we’ll try this out. But you still owe me.” Seeing Alyss’ frown, the smirk widened. “I did say that I wanted to kiss _you.”_

Alyss felt her hands be yanked forward and she almost fell into the other girl, whose violet eyes glittered with anticipation. 

“My turn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I know that in HPHM your patronus can be a leopard, but a black panther is just a different way of saying African leopard! Just wanted to clear up any confusion... (I like 'panther' better... sue me).
> 
> Feel free to let me know your thoughts down below!


	9. dating merula snyde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyss has a hard time being non biased for a Quidditch match; even though they're dating now, Merula still loves to tease her.

Alyss had _intended_ to keep that fact that she was dating Merula Snyde quiet, but it soon became clear to her that such an idea was wishful thinking. 

For one thing, the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had seen five years of extreme rivalry between the two, not to mention multiple incidents involving hexes and hospital wing visits due to heated altercations. 

So when famous archenemies Merula Snyde and Alyss Weaver first were seen on the grounds, in Hogsmeade, walking to class, or sitting in the courtyard, both students and faculty alike had to do a double take.

Alyss noticed this, and expressed her slight annoyance to Penny and Rowan.

“Relax, Al,” the Hufflepuff girl said. “It’s just the latest gossip. Give it a few weeks and everyone’ll soon move on to discuss the latest boy Melanie Wymbleforth’s gotten herself involved with.” Seeing as Penny was the school’s most popular girl, and always tuned into the latest drama, Alyss made the mistake of asking her what people were saying.

At this, Penny had blanched slightly. “Well…there’s a rumour going around that Merula performed a memory charm on you and this is her idea of a prank, and the Slytherins are claiming it’s a Ravenclaw tactic to eventually incapacitate their best Chaser before next week’s match.” 

After hearing that, Alyss decided she’d rather just ignore the gossip. If there was anything that being Jacob’s sibling had taught her, it was how to ignore the curious whispers. 

Merula, on the other hand, was royally pissed off when Alyss related what Penny had mentioned. 

“They think you’re going to sabotage me? Those idiots! I told them to stay out of my personal life…”

“Relax, Merula,” Alyss said as they sat in the Owlery visiting Clios. “I mean, I _did_ think about making sure Ravenclaw wins the match…” She smirked as Merula paused, eyes narrowing slightly. 

“Just kidding. _OW!_ Just kidding!” Alyss rubbed her arm were Merula had poked it. 

* * * * * 

“ _Et tu_ , Alyss?” 

Alyss looked up from her scrambled eggs to see Andre Egwu, dressed in his blue Quidditch robes, staring down at her reproachfully. He leaned forward and stared at her sweater.

“Do mine eyes deceive me, or are those Slytherin colours?”

Alyss glanced down at her sweater. Well, actually it was Merula’s sweater, but what Andre was pointing at was the Slytherin Quidditch team logo emblazoned on the front. 

Raising her hands in a defeated gesture, Alyss sighed. “It’s Merula’s. As if I have any green in my wardrobe. You of all people know it’s not my colour.” She rolled her eyes. “How does one be non-partisan in Quidditch?” 

Andre winked and grabbed some bacon from her plate. “You don’t. But kudos to you for trying!” He pulled a small pocket watch out from his robes. “Oof, best be off!”

Rowan, Tulip, Talbott and Alyss all wished him well and finished their breakfast. Alyss was just gulping down the rest of her coffee when Penny came over from the Hufflepuff table, clad in a Ravenclaw scarf borrowed from Rowan. “Shall we go down and get seats?” 

It was an unusually beautiful February day, perfect for a Quidditch match. Chatting excitedly, the three girls joined a sea of navy-clad students heading for the stands. The other three Houses tended to band together against Slytherin in terms of Quidditch, but Alyss hadn’t forgotten the trick the Gryffindor team had played at the last match. She had her binoculars and wand ready in her pocket to see every detail of the match. It’d be preferable if Merula didn’t end this one with a concussion and a broken arm. 

Not that the Ravenclaw players would resort to dirty tactics, however, but Alyss knew that Andre often had some creative (or ‘eccentric’) plans. 

Thankfully, the match went off without any severe injuries—not counting a Ravenclaw Chaser’s broken nose due to a Bludger sent by Slytherin Beater Erika Rath—and resulted in a Ravenclaw victory, 210 points to eighty. 

After the match, Alyss met up with Merula outside the Changing rooms. She handed Merula the thermos of hot chocolate after performing a quick Warming Charm on it, and the two walked up to the castle.

Alyss could tell that Merula was upset about the match, but didn’t quite know what to say. “You flew really well,” she finally said. 

Merula scowled. “If I had spent more time blocking than trying to score, I would’ve—”

“Hey.” Alyss nudged her slightly. “It beats a trip to the Hospital Wing.” She took Merula’s arm. “Plus, you’ve still got one more match. We’ll see how the points play out.”

The Slytherin girl took a sip out of the thermos. “Damn, Weaver, this is really good.”

Alyss winked. “There _may_ be a touch of Firewhiskey in it. Consider it a post defeat pick-me-up.”

Merula pretended to be shocked. “And where did you, little miss perfect, get your hands on Firewhiskey?”

“That’s a secret that involves Tonks and the Hog’s Head…,” Alyss teased. “And I’ll take it to the grave!” She skipped forward up the path and looked back at Merula.

“I’m your girlfriend now Weaver, remember?” Merula had a devilish look dancing around in her violet eyes. “I guess I can always _make_ you tell me!”

“Not _another_ duel—” Alyss’ words were cut off by a snowball whizzing past, barely missing her. She had scarcely any time to react before another enchanted snowball hit her square in the shoulder. 

Merula was bewitching whatever was left of the February snow on the castle grounds with a broad grin on her face. 

“ _Ahhhhhh!_ ” The next one dripped down Alyss’ neck. “You’re dead, Merula!” She reached down to grab a handful of slushy snow, but didn’t manage to dodge the next projectile, which hit her square in the face. 

Alyss’ glasses were covered with snow and her face was sopping wet. Sitting on the slushy ground, she ruefully swiped at her face. “Oof…” 

A hand extended and she let Merula pull her up. “Whoopsies,” the Slytherin girl said with a smirk. “You’re covered in snow.” Merula carefully wiped the rest of the slush off of Alyss’ cheeks, grabbed the ends of her scarf and pulled her in for a kiss. 

When the two girls broke apart, Alyss didn’t even feel the cold. Every kiss with Merula seemed to shoot what felt like white-hot fire around in her chest. Alyss looked down slightly at Merula, grinning. 

"Guess I won, Weaver,” Merula announced, snatching Alyss’ hand and continuing up to the castle. “Spill the beans. I want to hear all about how an underage Prefect got her hands on some Firewhiskey…”

And so Alyss did, feeling like the happiest witch in the world as she walked along, holding Merula Snyde’s hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got to spend a good chunk of time fabricating a Quidditch season based on match and point structure, I'm too much of a nerd... 
> 
> Side note, what profession can you see Merula taking up post-Hogwarts? It'd have to be something with a bunch of adventure, but I can't see her hunting Dark Wizards/Witches (unless with a TON of therapy she gets over the whole parents-in-Azkaban situation). 
> 
> What do you guys think? Let me know!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! My first HPHM fanfic! Let me know what you think!!


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